, Philippine and US forces have begun preparing a joint response on maritime security threats as part of joint military exercises, officials said Feb. 20.
The tabletop exercises that began Feb. 19 included strategies on how to jointly stop terrorists from staging attacks on the Philippine archipelago and in particular its porous southern borders, the military officials said.
The four-day maritime exercise would cover how to deal with terrorists moving by boat, bomb threats to passenger ferries, attacks on oil fields, intercepting boats with illegal drugs and piracy.
Maritime security planning forms part of the two-week joint war games known as Balikatan (shouldering the load together), which were launched Feb. 19.
Apart from maritime security, the main thrust of the exercises, however, will be devoted to humanitarian and engineering projects on the strife-torn southern island of Jolo, where al-Qaida-linked militants operate.
“What we are trying to do in these four days is come up with procedures to deal with the maritime security issues, that is the gameplan,” said Lt. Cmdr. John Taylor, the Pacific Command
